Friday, February 22, 2013

Squatters & Slackers: Avoiding Temptation

One
of my brother’s favorite jokes as a kid, was to make nose prints, pressing his
face flush against swanky restaurant windows.His big, brown soulful eyes

stared
hungrily at the diners, seeing if he could break their composure. Our folks fed us well; this was just a
lark for Bro. I didn’t follow
suit, even though it totally cracked me up.

Cute sign, but we were not tempted.

Clear water. Nice walking beach an easy dinghy ride in.Some of the little huts are the roof of a beachfront café.The $18 burgers did not tempt us; the $175 Valentinescouples dinner at the other island restaurant, waseven less tempting.

As
a so-called adult, I carry the tradition forward, with a little bit of a twist. I relish in dropping anchor for free in
bays where mooring balls cost $65 a night, and docking $125, plus $70 for
electric hookup.

Here’s
a comparison between us, the “Squatters & Slackers” to the “Well Heeled” on
Peter Island, British Virgin Islands.

Peter Island: Highbrow or Lowbrow? An Awesome Experience, Regardless

Squatters & Slackers (aka Budget
Cruisers)

Well-Heeled Sailors

Notes

Staying

Anchoring
is free $0; our power comes from our solar panels.

$65-$195 / night

Mooring ball $65, docking
$125, +$70 if electric hookup

Meals & Drinks

$15

do-it-yourself (DIY)

$200+

Cooking for ourselves vs.
eating out, 3 meals

Internet

$0

$0

Open WiFi;) – free!

Convenience

No, dinghy onto land

Yes - excellent – all
there if docked

Very small amount of $ for
dinghy gas

Pampering

No

Yes

We can do each other – not
the same

Walkies

$0

$0

Only cost is motivation!

Massage

$0 (DIY – “Do me, Wayne”)

$210 featured massage

Wayne’s good!

View

$0

$0

Awesome!

Total

$15

$475-605

Overall Experience

We create our own paradise

Paradise: Easy but expensive

Any questions?

Mooring balls in this bay, just around the corner fromour anchorage, cost $65/night.